This ‘N That ChitChat
Posted by Michelle Moquin on October 2nd, 2009
Good morning….No post today peeps…I just want to say hello and address some of you. Okey Dokey?
RB: I hear ya but I don’t think you’re going to get the answer you’re looking for from JB.
Doug: We are almost always in agreement on many things but I respectfully disagree with you too. Although I think after reading Nick’s post, you get where he and I are coming from, and see the logic in it. Nick took my point and expanded on it. I was hoping that a man would respond that way so that I didn’t have to. Since I am not a man I can not speak from experience, I can not speak from a man’s knowing point of view. I can only speculate. But what you said Nick, was exactly how I felt and even more so. And I learned a little bit more. Thanks to both you and Doug for giving your opinions so that the conversation could go deeper.
AL: I hear where you are coming from too. A man can get raped by a woman how you described it. And as you said it happens in jail all of the time. However, I don’t think Nick was being foolish. My point about a woman not being able to rape a man was strictly about penis penetration on the man’s part. So was Nick’s, as he so articulately described in his comment. Your comment took the topic to a totally different direction and added some interest. Hope you are well.
Myra: Seeing a comment from an earthling girl was a nice surprise, but the content of your post was not to say the least. I am so sorry for the loss of Initi. Thank you for informing me. I wish you and the rest safe travels.
Ruth: How are you? Thanks for the post. I take probiotics from Dr. David Williams. He has blogged here a few times. I am very happy with his products and the results.
Helena: Your post was a good one too. I am aware of the problem of older people taking their spouses meds instead of their own which is very dangerous. But the fact that 1 out of 30 prescriptions are written incorrectly is astounding to me. That is just too many errors in such delicate life situations. I agree with the post…too many doctors prescribe too many meds. I do believe in taking some medications, but I always try the natural or alternative ways first. I hope that you are well.
Peter and Anna: I hope that you and your peeps are weathering the storm. Hafa Adai.
Anonymous: Wow. That was a very interesting and informative post on cholesterol. I hear so many people (including my mother) talk about their levels of cholesterol (LDL and HDL), and how to lower it….how one day it is good and the next day it isn’t. It seems to be very confusing and quite the mystery. But this really simplifies and gets to the meat of it. Thank you. This will definitely get filed in my desktop health folders.
Jerry: That was quite the story. Really, that is all of the energy I have right now for you.
Thanks for the Kudos Caroline…I think you’re a lark. :)
Anonymous #19/Drew: To answer your question plain and simple, “Yes.” Thanks for the info on Moveon. I’ll check it out.
Anonymous # 21, 26, Bg, XR, DL, TA: Right on. Thanks for the kind words. Liked all of your commentary too. We can all thank Ruth for bringing up this continued hot topic.
And now I must go. Happy Friday!
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the ‘Donate’ button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my ‘Donate’ page)
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Sorry Nick and Doug, I did not have all the facts to barge in on that on.
Al
October 2nd, 2009 at 1:19 pm
UGLY TRUTH ABOUT DERMAL FILLERS
Celebrity tabloids and TV shows often critique excessively pouty lips and other cosmetic procedures gone bad amongst the glitterati… but the potential dangers involved in cosmetic procedures such as dermal filler injections go way beyond bad press for the rich and famous.
Though these procedures have become commonplace, they are nowhere near as safe as they may seem.
Most recently an advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a report saying that injectable cosmetic wrinkle fillers may have “serious and unexpected” adverse effects.
Current labels on dermal fillers outline reactions such as redness and swelling, but those risks are now understood to extend to severe allergic reactions or disfigurement. The independent panel of experts has issued a non-binding recommendation to the FDA to strengthen warnings on product labels.
THE CULT OF YOUTH
Temporary and permanent dermal fillers were approved by the FDA in 1981 for plumping up soft tissue, filling in facial wrinkles and smoothing the skin. They can be made from natural substances (such as highly purified human or bovine — cow — collagen) or synthetic ones.
About 1.5 million wrinkle-filling procedures are done each year with products such as Juvéderm, Restylane, Perlane, ArteFill and Radiesse. Many patients require more than one injection to achieve the desired effect, with results typically lasting only six months or so, as fillers are gradually absorbed by the body.
In its review of 930 adverse event reports from fillers over the last five to six years, the FDA classified 823 reactions as “injuries.” These included infection (most common at the injection site)… minor, temporary bleeding… lumps… bumps… and in rare cases permanent disfigurement.
Medical intervention was required in 684 of the adverse events, including nearly 100 surgical procedures. Nineteen people visited the emergency room for treatment of life-threatening allergic reactions. The FDA did not specify whether any dermal filler brands were associated with more problems than others.
EXERCISE CAUTION
There is no question that injectable filler procedures have the potential for side effects even when administered by the most skilled physician, observes Audrey Kunin, MD, founder and president of DERMAdoctor (www.dermadoctor.com) and coauthor of The DERMAdoctor Skinstruction Manual.
If you choose to take the risk and have this type of cosmetic procedure, she recommends extreme caution — get dermal filler injections only under the direct supervision of a licensed, board-certified dermatologist or a plastic surgeon who is skilled in their use and trained to handle unexpected problems.
Furthermore, the FDA advises against dermal fillers for people who have a history of severe allergies or allergic reactions… are allergic to collagen, eggs or lidocaine… have a bleeding disorder… are prone to scarring… or whose skin is currently infected or inflamed.
Additionally, when considering fillers…
• Discuss with your physician the amount of correction you expect and maintain realistic expectations about it.
• Make sure you know all about the product and its possible side effects. You can get this information from the dermatologist and/or the product Web site. Another resource to consult is the Physician’s Desk Reference at http://www.pdrhealth.com and also, visit the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program at http://www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm.
• Examine the product label and take warnings seriously.
• Do not use wrinkle fillers for unapproved or off-label purposes. For instance, using dermal filler to plump the lips is common, but is not an approved use.
• Keep in mind that there is no safety information pertaining to repeated use of these products over a long period of time.
If you experience an adverse reaction to a dermal filler, report it to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program at the above address.
Source(s): ??Audrey Kunin, MD, founder and president of DERMAdoctor, and coauthor of The DERMAdoctor Skinstruction Manual (Simon & Schuster). Visit her Web site at http://www.dermadoctor.com.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Hi Mischa, I posted yesterday this am, just wanted to tell you that I emailed you 2 items of interest and will be busy on and off Sat, maybe we can catch a call on Sunday late aft/early eve?
Just read the above also and I should’ve shared this info when Grace wrote in about face exercises…but forgot. Hot tip from my facialist who works for a plastic surgeon when she’s not busy massaging me and other South Bay women who are going way longer between appts than usual – take a look at truesun.com and click through on ‘light therapy skin care’ the DPL light along the Fyola massager USED AS DIRECTED will “quote”: put dermatologists’ ‘facial filler’ out of biz, so there you have it for $350 + $298 one time only purchase you can grow old gracefully and now you know what I’m hankering for my birthday : ) hee hee, I better get crackin’ on making the money to buy it, you know, before the wrinkling thing seriously kicks in ; )I just flashed on Bianca, your passed on sharpei, she was so dang cute, awwwww…Lucy is a groovy pooch also : )
Over and out, Zen Lill
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Hafa adai
The US Navy is ready to help Guam and the other south Pacific Islands that are being threatened by these huge stroms. Don’t bother emailing me or Anna we will put out the news on Michelle’s blog.
____________________________________________
US Navy mobilizes disaster relief across Asia: admiral
(AFP) – 8 hours ago
WASHINGTON — The US military mobilized disaster relief operations across the Pacific Friday in response to a series of tsunamis, earthquakes and severe storms that have devastated the region, the top US commander in Asia said.
US Pacific Command chief Admiral Timothy Keating told reporters “some significant disaster relief operations are under way” in American Samoa, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Five C-17 transport aircraft have delivered search and rescue teams, food, supplies and vehicles to American Samoa, hit by a deadly tsunami triggered by an 8.0 magnitude earthquake, Keating said in a teleconference from Hawaii.
A navy frigate, the USS Ingraham, was in the waters off Samoa with two helicopters for rescue and damage assessment missions.
The US Navy meanwhile was tracking a “super typhoon” headed for the Philippines, which was still recovering from floods triggered by tropical storm Ketsana last weekend.
Two amphibious ships, the USS Harpers Ferry and the USS Tortuga, were now off the coast of Manila with hundreds of marines on board ready to provide medical aid and other help if needed.
“The forecast that I got a couple of hours ago indicates the storm will continue to move northwesterly, and on that track it should make landfall tomorrow morning on the northern end of Luzon,” Keating said.
“And Manila will get wet, but we don’t think it will have the torrential downpour or the high winds that the north part of the island will get.”
In Indonesia, ravaged by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake, a C-130 military transport plane ferried in aid supplies while a US ship was on its way with three large “heavy-lift” helicopters as well as smaller choppers.
The USS Denver was due to arrive in a “couple of days,” he added.
A team of eight to 10 special operations forces flying to a scheduled training exercise were redirected in flight and landed at a nearby airfield to assist with relief work in Indonesia as well.
With another typhoon threatening the Northern Mariana Islands and possibly Guam, the Navy had amphibious ships at the ready to the east.
As a precaution ahead of the storm, two of three US submarines permanently stationed in Guam had been pulled out, as well as aircraft.
“The airplanes that can fly have left,” with some heading to a US base in Okinawa, Japan, said Keating.
__________________________________________
We are going to need all our time to stay on top of things.
Peter
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:58 pm
For those of you too lazy to check the web here is the latest. I will tell you what Guam looks like after the storm hits or passes us by.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Northern Marianas, Guam brace for Typhoon Melor
(AP) – 7 hours ago
SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands — Residents of the Northern Mariana Islands and neighboring Guam braced themselves Saturday as Typhoon Melor churned across the Western Pacific.
In the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Agrihan were under a typhoon warning. They were forecast to take the brunt of the storm, with the National Weather Service saying winds of close to 80 mph would cause widespread damage.
Up to 8 inches of torrential rain was possible from the storm, which was expected to hit the islands about 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii with 12- to 16-foot surf and a storm surge 5 to 8 feet above high tide.
A less severe tropical storm warning was in effect for Rota in the Northern Marianas and for Guam, about 125 miles to the south.
As of Saturday morning, the typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph was centered 175 miles east-northeast of Saipan, moving west-northwest at 14 mph, the weather service said.
Typhoon force winds of at least 74 mph extended up to 70 miles from the center of the storm, while tropical force winds of 39 mph or higher reached out 260 miles.
Some airlines canceled flights in the Northern Marianas as residents stocked up on emergency supplies as the typhoon headed their way.
The government has opened six shelters on Saipan and one on Tinian. Most government and private sector employees were told to leave work Friday, and many went to board up and stock their homes.
Guam villagers living in tin-and-wood homes were urged to seek refuge in storm shelters.
Yigo Mayor Robert Lizama said residents have had to be rescued from collapsing homes during previous typhoons, so they’re being asked to relocate to shelters ahead of time in anticipation of the storm.
Lizama said hundreds of people already have relocated to 12 public schools that have been designated as storm shelters.
The U.S. Coast Guard advised mariners not to leave shore until the storm passes.
Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was standing by with water, more than 90,000 meals, 2,500 cots, 3,800 blankets and 85 power generators already in the Northern Marianas and Guam.
An additional 110,000 meals and more supplies are ready to be shipped from Hawaii to wherever they’re needed. Those supplies are also available to help the recovery from the tsunami that hit American Samoa earlier this week.
Federal first responders are already stationed in the threatened islands.
They would complement the more than 245 federal responders already working in American Samoa.
============================
Hafa adai
Anna
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:13 am
So not the repugs are ragging on Obama because he didn’t get the Olympics. The insulting thing is how happy they are that he didn’t get it. What is with these people? They were rooting for their country to lose the Olympics so that Obama would look bad.
These are the same people always screaming country first. That is unless country gets in the way of their political agenda or pocketbook. It makes me ashamed to be white sometimes when I see how that racist bunch who call themselves republicans act.
I have disassociated myself from most of my family because they are such hypocrites. They hate any thing Obama does because he is black. As far as they are concerned fuck country if it means that a black man gets to be President. If I had any black friends I would be too ashamed to be in their company.
Can we whites actually be as bad as the republicans are? I mean these guys would toss out Jesus if the was too dark upon his return. If the devil showed up blond and blue eyed. Jesus would have to move to the back of the bus.
My “deeply religious” family who shoot the preacher who attempted to integrate their church. And march to force public schools to include the bible concept of creation in public schools. The same schools they don’t want their kids mixing with the OTWS.
Face it America. Most whites in America would rather have the country destroyed than have to share it equally with the OTWS.
I need a drink
Herald
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:16 am
House Passes Medicare Premium Fairness Act
Medicare is one of our nation’s solemn pledges to our seniors – a promise to provide stable, high quality and affordable health care. They have paid into the system, and we want them to get everything they deserve out of it.
Last week, the House renewed this pledge by passing H.R. 3631, the Medicare Premium Fairness Act, by a vote of 406-18 to protect 11 million seniors and cash-strapped states from unfair increases in Medicare Part B premiums in 2010. These hikes would directly threaten the pocketbooks of 4 million new enrollees and retirees, as well as state budgets, which cover premiums for 7 million low-income seniors. There is no reason this burden should fall on seniors and people with disabilities, especially during difficult economic times.
For nearly three-quarters of Medicare enrollees, Medicare Part B premiums – which cover physician and outpatient care and are deducted from directly from Social Security checks – cannot increase more than the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security. Because of the current low inflation rate, next year the Social Security COLA is likely to be zero.
Without congressional action, the other 27 percent of enrollees will see their Part B premium increase from $96 per month to $110-120 per month. This is because Part B premiums are required by law to cover 25 percent of Medicare Part B’s costs. Those who will see this premium increase include:
low-income dual eligibles;
higher-income Medicare beneficiaries;
new Medicare enrollees; and
enrollees whose Medicare premiums are not deducted from their Social Security checks
The Medicare Premium Fairness Act extends the “hold harmless” policy to protect all Medicare enrollees from an increase larger than the Social Security COLA, so that the 2010 Part B premiums will remain at $96.40 and no seniors will see a cut in their Social Security checks.
Protecting Seniors in Health Insurance Reform
President Obama and Congress are working to fix what is broken in our health care system and strengthen what is working. Medicare – which provides health care for Americans age 65 and older as well as younger people with disabilities – is working, and will be strengthened under H.R. 3200, the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.
Speaker Pelosi discusses the benefits to seniors in health reform with Congressman John Dingell, Chairman Emeritus of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and former Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly, Chair of the Leadership Conference on Aging and President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
Without health insurance reform for all Americans, health care costs will keep rising, jeopardizing Medicare’s ability to keep covering costs. These rising costs hit seniors’ wallets too – with the average Part D plus Part B premiums consuming an estimated 12 percent of the average Social Security benefit in 2010 and 16 percent by 2025.
For seniors, heath insurance reform will mean:
Preserving and Protecting Medicare: Extending the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund by five years, to help ensure Medicare can cover every American as they get older.
Lower drug costs: closing the Medicare Part D “donut hole” in prescription drug coverage for beneficiaries – including 8,100 San Francisco seniors.
Free preventive care: So you pay nothing for recommended preventive services that will keep you healthier longer.
Better primary care: Ensuring you have access to and can spend more time with your primary care doctor, and making sure your care is better coordinated to ensure you get recommended treatments, particularly for chronic diseases.
Guaranteed access to your doctor: Eliminating the 21 percent pay cut your doctor was facing for Medicare reimbursements, ensuring that these doctors will still be able to care for seniors
Improved Safety: Developing national standards on quality measurement and reporting, investing in patient safety, and rewarding doctors and nurses for high quality care.
Tighter Oversight: Focusing health care dollars on your care and benefits; eliminating waste, fraud, and inefficiency, and cracking down on overpayments to private insurance companies.
With health insurance reform, we have an historic opportunity to change the course of our great country – to provide security to those with insurance and affordable coverage to those without it. It is an opportunity we will not miss.
But we will only do it in a way that pays off for America’s seniors.
New San Francisco Office
My San Francisco Congressional Office has moved. We are now located in the new Federal Building at 90 7th Street, Suite 2-800, San Francisco, California 94103. The phone number will remain the same, 415-556-4862.
Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my Web site.
Sincerely,
Member of Congress
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:41 am
I’m with you Herold. But I think it is mostly American whites that are the dumbest. I mean the French and the British marched to get equality.
Dumb ass american whites march to get the rich to keep more of their money. Don’t tax the rich is a slogan unique to dumb as dirt white americans. It must be all that inbreeding. I am european. When I married into this family, I thought they had some humanity. These people hate Obama so much because he is black that they would sooner see the country lose everything than have him take credit for its recovery.
Most america white lie to themselves and everybody else about their racism, bigotry and or ambivalence towards the pain and suffering they or their fellow whites cause the OTWs of this country.
My mother sent me here with this admonishment. “America is great because of it’s geological place in the world and its natural resources not because of anything the white race has done their. White europeans who are not bigots despise white americans for their arrogance, deceit and hypocrisy.
I married the ignorant racist bastard because he came to my country flashing his wealth. Why not visit the ex colony and fleece the inbred racist bastards. So here I am doing my part for Queen and family. My skin crawls when the creep touches me, but girls got to do what a girl got to do.
Susan
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:49 am
This stuff works! You remember that a few weeks ago more than 30,000 of us demanded that disgraced Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis resign. We held rallies on street corners, sent emails to his shareholders and continued to pressure Congress to re-regulate Wall Street.
This week we learned that Ken Lewis and Bank of America got the message – and Lewis is leaving.1 But that’s not enough.
Our next target: health care executives. Our nationwide Health Care for America Now effort has launched a gutsy project to take the “we need health care” message straight to the homes of the health care CEOs.2
Yesterday to launch this campaign, Stacie Ritter went to confront Cigna CEO Ed Hanway at his Philadelphia mansion. Stacie’s twin daughters got cancer when they were just 4 years old, but Cigna is denying them access to a critical drug they need.3 So Stacie went right to his front door to demand the medicine her kids need, and deliver a message from other Americans like us that we’re sick of Big Insurance pushing us around.
Ed Hanway declined to see Stacie, just like his company is declining to take care of her kids. But Stacie’s not giving up, and neither can we.
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:58 am
The latest on MELOR.
+++++++++++++
Contact: Rob Gutro
Robert.J.Gutro@nasa.gov
301-286-4044
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Super Typhoon Melor crossing Guam this weekend
NASA AIRS instrument sees Melor’s icy clouds
IMAGE: The AIRS infrared images are false-colored to show Melor’s highest, cold clouds in purple and blue. Those temperatures are as cold as or colder than 220 degrees Kelvin or minus…
Click here for more information.
Melor has become a Super Typhoon with sustained winds near 130 mph, and is crossing Guam and its islands this weekend. Warnings and watches are already up for the region.
A typhoon warning is in force for Saipan and Tinian. A typhoon watch is in force for Rota and Agrihan, and a tropical storm warning is in effect for Guam, Rota and Agrihan, meaning that tropical storm conditions are expected within 24 hours.
NASA’s Aqua satellite flew over Super Typhoon Melor on October 1 at 15:59 UTC (1:59 a.m. Guam local time), and captured in infrared image of the storm’s clouds using the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument. AIRS takes the temperature of the storm’s highest, cold clouds and revealed very high, powerful thunderstorms. Those cloud tops were as cold as or colder than 220 degrees Kelvin or minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (F). The colder the clouds are, the higher they are, and the more powerful the thunderstorms are that make up the tropical storm.
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Guam issued a special statement about Super Typhoon Melor, and warned residents not to focus on where Melor’s center is located, because the storm is very large and dangerous winds extend far from the center. The NWS statement reads “Islands hundreds of miles from the typhoon eye will experience tropical storm-force winds. Melor is expected to intensify and move toward the Marianas. The onset of damaging winds is expected in the northern Marianas after Midnight tonight (local time).” For updated information: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/guam/localHazards.php.
How far do Melor’s winds extend? Tropical storm-force winds of (39 mph) 34 knots or higher occur within 185 to 225 miles of the center, while typhoon (hurricane)-force winds of (73 mph) 64 knots or higher occur within 60 miles of the center.
The National Weather Service forecast for Guam, specifically where Andersen Air Force Base is located is as follows: Today (Saturday, October 2)…Damaging winds. Northwest winds 25 to 30 mph shifting to the west 30 to 40 mph in the afternoon. Cloudy. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms in the morning…then numerous locally heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs around 83. Tonight (Saturday Night…Damaging winds. Southwest winds 35 to 45 mph. Cloudy with numerous locally heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms. Lows around 77. For live National Weather Service radar at the Andersen Air Force Base, Guam: http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=GUA&product=NCR&overlay=11101111&loop=yes.
Super Typhoon Melor had maximum sustained winds near 132 mph (115 knots) on October 2 at 1500 UTC (at 1 a.m. Saturday, October 2). It was located 305 miles east-northeast of Saipan, near 15.0 North and 149.9 East. Melor is moving northwest near 9 mph and is creating 29-foot high waves.
After passing Guam, Melor is forecast to steer northeast and approach central Japan.
###
Images: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2009/h2009_Melor.html
==========================================
Hafa adai
Anna
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:11 am
Obama isn’t descending into the old trade debate. Remarkably, he has added another explosive issue to his already crowded agenda: that of transforming America’s global economic strategy. At the G-20 meetings in Pittsburgh, he succeeded in gaining international approval – including that of the Chinese – for a continuing review of the unsustainable imbalances in the global economy. The decision on Chinese tires may just be the president suggesting that he may put some teeth into digesting that change.
Like health care, climate change, and financial reform, the challenge is inescapable. America can’t go back to borrowing $2 billion a day from abroad to act as the world’s consumer. Americans can’t go back to spending more than they make, maxing out credit cards, treating their homes as an ATM machine. Those days are over.
That means, as the president has said, the US must spend less and invest more. We must produce more at home, and export more. If that is the case, then inevitably the surplus countries, the mercantilist nations that have used export-led growth to drive their economies — China, Germany, Japan and others — also have to change course.
They have to save less and spend more, import more and export less. If they don’t generate increased demand while the US cuts back, then the recession will return with a vengeance. This entails wrenching changes in public policy and private attitudes. But what’s clear is that the old imbalances were and are a constant peril, supplying the kerosene for the contagion that laid waste to the global economy.
At Pittsburgh, President Obama insisted that the leaders of the world’s major economies make this a centerpiece of their agenda. He exacted an agreement — despite the stated skepticism of Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and China’s leaders — on a framework for “strong, sustainable and balanced growth.” The G-20 countries agreed to set priorities, report annually on their own domestic policies, and monitor one another, with the IMF serving as an independent goad.
Cynics dismissed the agreement as toothless. There’s no enforcement mechanism except naming and shaming (which hasn’t exactly proved effective in dealing with China). The IMF has been warning about these imbalances for years to no effect.
China and Germany vigorously resist any external questioning of their national economic policies. Merkel dismissed global imbalances as an “ersatz” issue. Tu Jianhua, director general for international trade in the Chinese commerce ministry, tweaked the West, noting that “I’m not sure that one country’s leader calling another to import more represents market practices.” The G-20 couldn’t even get a murmur concerning currency manipulation (a central Chinese strategy) in the document.
The cynicism may be deserved. But here’s where the Obama decision on tire tariffs has bite. As the free trade zealots admit, tire imports barely register on US-China trade accounts. The decision is important for its symbolism, not its substance. That’s why the free trade lobby howls about protectionism.
But the president may well have moved beyond the screamers to an adult discussion. He’s telling the Chinese, these staggering imbalances can’t continue. We should both adjust, preferably in a coordinated fashion. But the US is serious about changing the game. If we can’t do that cooperatively, then we’ll find a way to do it independently.
Now, this is a dance that makes the tango look demure. The US is the world’s largest debtor. We’re telling our leading banker that we’re changing our wastrel ways, so they’ll need to find a different way to prosper. But the US is hardly in a position to dictate policy to the Chinese.
They’ve already sent tremors through the bond market by raising doubts about the US finances.
Will Obama succeed? It’s hard to know, for this transformation will require major reconstructive surgery to economies at home and abroad, compared to which health care reform is a mere face lift. In the short term, consumers, sobered by their losses in the Great Recession, are tightening their belts on their own. Savings by US households have soared to four times the rate of 2008 before the financial collapse. Chinese exports are down 23% from last August.
But once the economy recovers and people go back to work, Americans may well go back to borrowing and spending. And we know that Wall Street has already reopened the casino.
One thing is clear. As in health care, energy, and financial reform, Obama has once more addressed an inescapable challenge that his predecessors ignored.
He has once more aroused the ire of one of the most powerful lobbies — in this case, the global corporations and the free trade zealots that have dug this country into a deep hole. Once more, he has done so cautiously, in small steps, ready to compromise, hoping not to offend. Once more, he’s invited Americans — and the world — into an adult conversation about what is to be done. And once more, he’s likely to be greeted by hysteria and insult, graphically illustrated by the Economist’s disreputable cover.
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:31 am
Susan you and Herold are both right. I too have become disgusted with my parents and some of my rabidly racists family members. I don’t live down south. The myth that racism is only out of control there is just that a myth.
We regularly sit around the house discussing the nigger, immigrant, and illegal alien problem as if the 200 plus years of white only rule hasn’t had something to do with our present situation. Frankly, I am tired of us white women blindly throwing our support behind white men. I finally broke with the stupidity and voted for Obama. I still can’t admit it less I be ostracized from the family forever.
They are that insanely bigoted against Obama. He is a nigger and that is that to them. Statistics say 55% of white america voted for McCain and Palin. Think about that. voting for McCain was a risk for the nation. But voting for McCain and Palin to be present in the event the old crook kicked the buckett was a intentional negligent act committed against the safety and security of the nation.
Yet, these racists fools would do it again rather than see a black man at the helm. You had better believe that if that idiot runs for president. The white majority will line up to vote for Palin.
Oh, they will toot the woman factor, God, fiscal responsibility, etc. But the bottom line is they will be voting white. I truly believe that white people suffer from a neurosis that makes them believe that the color of their skin gives them some special right, intelligence, and sacredness over the rest of the inhabitants on this planet.
I look in the eyes of my fellow workers who are not white. I know they know that if I were not white I would not have the position at work that I have. I imagine this being repeated all over the United States of America millions of times a day.
I hope that when the day comes that the OTWs are the dominant race in America they treat us better than we have and continue to treat them.
Janet
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:39 am
Seeing her run for president will be painful too…but there will be more moments of comedy.
What has our country come to when we have the possibility of this twit actually running for office.
Good Lord…it frightens and saddens me to no end *hopeless sigh*
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:46 am
Janet,
You are wrong about why I and most GOP conservatives will vote for Palin if she runs for president. I think she could win. Once we include the social conservatives, we will take back the White House.
If I may remind you white girl. It is called that for a reason. You are a traitor to your race. God will take your measure when He returns.
Linda
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:51 am
Sarah Palin with the authority to launch a nuclear attack against another country? I don’t think so… no way, never. Sarah Palin has gotten her way for too long.
She’s pretty, she speaks the language of an illiterate base that we still have in this country despite the availability of a decent education for not that much money. She’s a member of and speaks the language of a dangerous right-wing cultish version of Christianity that enthralls the present “base” of the Republican Party.
For these people, Sarah has the potential for actualizing the apocalpyse which supposedly will herald the return of Jesus. Sarah Palin is dangerous, ignorant, and yes, she would be a disaster for the Republicans and for this country if by some set of circumstances she actually won.
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:53 am
A palin presidency would benefit only one person – George W. Bush – as it would make his presidency shine in comparison.
I seriously doubt her ability to ever be elected – corporate America may like her pro-greed agenda but it is also comprised of some very very smart people who know that putting a not very smart , slightly unstable person at the helm is not good for business.
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:01 am
ND
Where have you been for the last 13 years? That “corporate America” you referred to with all those “very smart people” you referred to. Helped elect Bush to not one but two terms in the White House.
They also almost made us a third world economy over night. If the not so bright non corporate people hadn’t elected Obama to set on the path of recovery, would you be singing a different tune now?
What bull are you selling?
Corporate america is about profits. Countries, health of the planet or people are irrelevant. Money is GOD. And they worship at the highest alter.
Paul
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:04 am
Ok… now this guy AND Joe Scarborough are softening us up so they can put forth who THEY want and who will give them big fat envelopes full of cash to burnish the reputation of a “responsible Republican who can win”.
Who are these guys kidding. This country elected George Bush twice… and they put 100 certifiable conservanuts into the house in 1994 who still bedevil us to this day. If it comes down to it and Sarah Palin’s name is on that lever in 50 states we don’t know WHAT could happen.
Put me down as one of those “lefties” who are indeed afraid of Palin.. for every George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.. this country has put in a Millard Fillmore or a Taft or a Nixon… DARE this electorate NOT to elect this idiot and you’ll be eating YOU BETCHA campaign pins through the end of the century.
I don’t know what’s wrong with these Democrats… but they need to put somebody in charge and quick. You don’t have elections like the one last year without eventually having to do the dirty work of slamming the faces of the defeated in deep dirty mud… Obama took the high road and you see where it has gotten him.
You give the greed merchants too much credit! Unstable dopes managed by a ruthless crumb like Cheney have proven a viable model.
So putting an empty suit who doesn’t look like she’ll EVER figure it out suits the puppetmasters fine.
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:12 am
Michelle
Thanks for the inquiry. I am very busy these little ones are finally coming out of their fear shell. I think the doctors are working their magic on the heads. They seem to believe that they are safe and they are beginning to act like little girls.
They have so many questions and they are eager to learn. We hope that after a year or so more of private tutelage, they will be ready for private school with others of their own age.
I am still a faithful reader. I start my day with your column. It is amazing how many times I see new material after I have read it before I retire the next day.
You must be very busy too. I hope we get to meet one day. I bet we have more in common than you know.
Ruth
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:14 am
Eating Out on the Cheap Without Looking Cheap
Barbara Pachter
Pachter & Associates
Business and personal budgets have been cut to the bone by this recession — but we still may need to take clients out for a meal or treat out-of-town guests to dinner.
Solution: Limit the cost of eating out while still seeming as munificent as ever. Here’s how…
Choose restaurants that seem pricier than they are. You don’t have to bring guests to the most expensive restaurant in town — just avoid eateries that look cheap. When we entertain, the visual impression offered by the dining room can be as important as the quality of the food. The waitstaff must be professionally dressed — no jeans or fast-food–type uniforms… the tables must have tablecloths… the room must seem clean and fresh… and there should not be a TV.
Be ready to explain why you chose this restaurant over better-known alternatives. Two options…
Eat at the restaurant before inviting important guests, then provide a personal endorsement.
Example: “It’s one of those great places that only locals know about.”
Cite a glowing review. Search the online archives of your local newspapers… or search the name of the restaurant and town on Google.com to find reviews.
Example: “The Tribune gave this place a great review. I’ve been meaning to give it a try.”
Recommend dishes in the midprice range. You can’t tell your guests what to order, but you can provide a rave review of an entrée that isn’t too expensive.
Example: “I always come here for the chicken marsala. It’s the best thing on the menu.”
Use a little wine research to trim a lot from the bill. Restaurants usually offer some perfectly nice wines for less than $25 a bottle. Trouble is, selecting one of these less expensive wines could make you appear cheap.
Solution: Skim the restaurant’s wine list prior to your important dinner, and jot down a few of the more affordable bottles. (The wine list might be available on the restaurant’s Web site. If not, visit the restaurant in person and ask to see it.) Look these up in a wine guide, such as Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide (Simon & Schuster) or Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book (Mitchell Beazley). Note two or three wines of different varieties from the list that earn favorable reviews. At your dinner, use these ratings to validate your inexpensive choice in the eyes of your guests.
Example: “Robert Parker gave this wine 91 points. Let’s give it a try.”
Preorder dinner for large groups. Ask to speak with the restaurant’s manager when you call to make a reservation for a group of 10 or more. The manager might be willing to let you create a special menu for your group. To control your costs, omit the restaurant’s priciest dishes from this menu.
The restaurant manager even might be willing to negotiate a special discount… or a fixed “per head” cost for your dinner, particularly if it is on a slow weeknight. You will have to give the restaurant at least several days’ notice to arrange a special menu. The larger your party, the greater the odds that the manager will agree.
Helpful: Let the manager know if you treat groups to meals frequently. Discounts and other special terms are most likely for customers who bring repeat business.
Don’t order the specials. Specials often are priced 10% to 40% higher than menu listings. Many restaurants don’t even say how much specials cost unless customers ask — and you’ll seem cheap if you ask.
You can’t prevent your guests from ordering the specials… but avoid restaurants likely to feature ultra-pricey lobster, crab or steak entrées.
Clip coupons. Even fancy restaurants sometimes issue coupons during difficult economic times. These coupons might be in regional “entertainment” coupon books… in local newspapers… or sent to those who sign up for the restaurant’s mailing list on its Web site.
Do not let your guests see you use a coupon — doing so seems cheap. Excuse yourself from the table to pay the bill. If a coupon must be presented in advance, arrive at the restaurant before your guests and ask the manager to have the discount applied confidentially.
Remain sober. A tipsy host might fail to notice that a guest has taken over the wine ordering and made a budget-busting selection. Besides, the more you drink, the more your guests are likely to drink, driving up your bill.
Host a lunch rather than a dinner. Restaurants often price their lunch entrées as much as 50% lower than dinner entrées… and your guests are likely to drink less at lunch.
Avoid paying a big bar tab. If the group wants to go to a bar after your dinner, agree to this and pay for the first round — then come up with a polite reason why you can’t stay any longer. Otherwise, you’ll be expected to pick up the entire bar tab. Example: “I’d love to stay longer, but I have an early meeting tomorrow.”
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Barbara Pachter, president, Pachter & Associates, a communications training firm in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She is author of many books, including When the Little Things Count… and They Always Count (Da Capo).
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:17 am
We’ve had two former Republican Governors succeed to the Presidency on style instead of substance (Reagan and Bush43) and we don’t need another.
If someone could somehow make Palin look less of an idiot than she is, she might be a formidable opponent. And that’s scary. Bush 43 got elected twice,and he’s probably the least intelligent President we’ve ever had. It could happen again if these couch potatoes fall for it.